Acoustic Emission during Metal–Insulator Phase Transition in V2O3

Abstract

Acoustic emission experiments have been performed on V2O3undergoing the metal–antiferromagnetic insulator transition near 150 K. The release of stress in the transition generates acoustic pulses which change on repeated thermal cycling. The observations are consistent with formation of nuclei of the insulating phase in the metallic matrix approximately 5 to 6 degrees above the transition. The observed rise and spread of the transition temperature on thermal cycling indicates the importance of thermoelastic martensitic effects in the course of the transition.